No Protection for Neymar and Messi

Denis Doyle/Getty ImagesNeymar was once again the focus of the opposition challenges.

Perhaps his reputation precedes him, but Neymar was afforded no protection from the officials this evening.

Time and again he was buffeted, bullied and harangued, but the referee was content to let things go in the main. Marcus Steinhoffer’s assault on the Brazilian as early as the 12th minute, that went unpunished, set the tone for the rest of the match.

However, the challenge which saw Lionel Messi leave the field was criminal in its intent.

That the official didn’t even produce a yellow card for that challenge is indicative of the refereeing standards in Spain.